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Membership Month begins on September 5!

Membership Month is the perfect time to mention our mission and your AFI membership to your movie-loving family, friends and colleagues. We’ve set a goal of attracting 100 new members, as well as a fundraising target of $10,000 to help support AFI’s mission to preserve the history of film, to honor the artists who bring stories to life on screen and to educate the next generation of storytellers.   

Those who join AFI this month or returning members who make an additional contribution to AFI during this special fund drive will be entered to win our Red Carpet Getaway, a trip for two to Los Angeles on American Airlines (the official airline of AFI), two nights at the glamorous Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (home of the first Academy Awards in 1929) and two tickets to an AFI Fest presented by Audi Gala screening and after party.

That’s an unforgettable opportunity for a film buff like you — and a great reason to participate in our Membership Month Challenge. Watch your e-mail on September 5 for a chance to share in the success of this campaign and win a Red Carpet Getaway!

Thanks to our friends at 20th Century Fox, for a limited time, AFI members and alumni will receive an exclusive and substantially reduced price on two box sets of DVDs at the Fox connect online store. The FORD AT FOX COLLECTION, featuring 24 classic John Ford movies, a book of photographs and poster reproductions, is price listed at $299.98 and is now available to you for just $79.98. The same low price applies to the MURNAU, BORZAGE AND FOX BOXSET, which is price listed at $239.98. The collection spans seven years of some of the best silent and talkie pictures made from 1925-1932.

Taking advantage of this offer is easy. Click on the link(s) below for the set(s) you wish to purchase. Once you are at the Fox Connect online store, click on the red Add to Cart button. Next click on the green Shopping Cart button at the top of the screen. Once at the Shopping Cart page, enter your exclusive AFI member discount code in the Coupons box and click the blue Apply button. The page will refresh with the discounted price reflected and you can complete your purchase by clicking on the green Checkout button.

For the FORD AT FOX COLLECTION, click here and enter the exclusive AFI member code FORDFOX.

For the MURNAU, BORZAGE AND FOX BOXSET, click here and enter the exclusive AFI member code MBANDF.

The special AFI price includes free shipping and handling. There is a limit of two sets of each collection per order. DVD quantities are limited and orders will be processed on a first come, first served basis. The offer ends December 31, 2012.

When you attend TheGrill, TheWrap’s Third Annual Media Leadership Conference, October 1-2 at the London West Hollywood, your AFI membership will earn you a special discounted rate of $1,095. Use Promo Code AFI to register.

Keynote Speakers include:

Tune in and feel the pride. Fourteen alumni from the AFI Conservatory have been nominated in 12 categories for the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards. The awards show honoring the best of primetime television will air on Sunday, September 23 on ABC with comedian Jimmy Kimmel debuting as host from the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.

Executive Producer and writer Gideon Raff (AFI Class of 2003) was nominated for both Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for HOMELAND. AFI alumni from three different years, including Bradley Buecker (AFI Class of 2003), Dante Di Loreto (AFI Class of 1991) and Brad Falchuck (AFI Class of 1996), were nominated for AMERICAN HORROR STORY in the Outstanding Miniseries or Movie category. The project also received a nomination for Outstanding Title Design by Cinematographer Juan Ruiz Anchia (AFI Class of 1979). Other Emmy-nominated shows with AFI DNA include AMERICAN MASTERS, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG?: APARTHEID AND THE CLUB OF THE WEST, HOT IN CLEVELAND, MAD MEN, MODERN FAMILY and VEEP.

On Wednesday, September 19, AFI will host “An Evening With Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick,” a dinner and Q&A with the celebrated AFI alums who met as Directing Fellows at the American Film Institute in 1975. Together, they created The Bedford Falls Company as their home for film and television projects, including the critically acclaimed television series MY SO-CALLED LIFE and the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning series ONCE AND AGAIN and THIRTYSOMETHING. Herskovitz and Zwick have given audiences films like BLOOD DIAMOND, I AM SAM, LEGENDS OF THE FALL, LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE and TRAFFIC. The acclaimed directors, writers and producers also pioneered online scripted series with QUARTERLIFE. 

This event is open to AFI Premiere Circle Members. RSVP is required by Sept. 13.

If you are not a Premiere Circle Member and are interested in upgrading your membership to attend this event.

We climbed the hill at AFI’s Hollywood campus to speak with Robert Vaughn, librarian of the Louis B. Mayer Library at the AFI Conservatory, on the day he returned from family leave for the birth of his son William Monte Vaughn. As you might expect, we kept our voices down during the interview as Fellows surveyed the bookshelves and tapped on laptops in the next room.

1. Where are you from? I was born in Whittier, California. I grew up there and in Corona, which is in nearby Riverside County. I’ve always considered Southern California to be my home, but I’ve lived everywhere from San Francisco to San Diego, Virginia, Illinois and I spent nearly 10 years in Tucson, Arizona.

2. Where did you go to school? I went to school – for my undergraduate degree – at the University of Arizona in Tucson and I received my Masters in Library and Information Sciences from San Jose State University.

3. What did you do before you came to AFI? I’ve worked in academic libraries since 1997, first with the University of Arizona and – just prior to AFI – with the music library at the University of Southern California.

4. How long have you been at AFI? I’ve been here since April 4, 2011. Just over a year.

5. What do you do at AFI? As the Conservatory librarian, I’m responsible for supporting the curriculum. My staff and I do that by providing material resources – books, scripts, films – and electronic resources, including electronic periodicals and film-related databases. We work with faculty to ensure that they and the Fellows have access to the necessary materials and information. We maintain the library archives, everything from special collections that document the history of filmmaking to the film archive, which houses all of the films made by the Fellows as well as the participants of AFI Directing Workshop for Women. We are responsible for the computer labs on campus – both the computer lab in the library and the digital design lab in the Warner Bros. Building. In addition, we do our best to maintain a welcoming space that encourages collaboration and intellectual discovery. We also assist researchers, authors, historians and educators.

6. How does that affect our members? We provide research assistance to members requesting information about film history or specific books and films. We also provide tours and we serve as a location for member events.

7. What was your best day at AFI? Without a doubt, it’s commencement. Every year, it’s commencement. I’ve attended commencements at the university level since 1997 and to me it’s the culmination of our work. I believe that education is empowering. I felt very empowered when I completed my formal education and to be part of that process for others is the most satisfying part of my job.

8. What are you working on today? It’s my first day back from family leave so I’m catching up on e-mail, voicemail and research requests. Our primary focus at the moment is preparing for the arrival of the class of 2014. We’re just making sure that we have all the materials that will be needed, that we’re all ready to provide the information and the resources available to get the Fellows up and running on Day One.

9. What don’t your colleagues know about you? I’m a pretty open person and most people know I’ve just had a son, so I will say I’m an avid record collector and I’m a fanatical follower of the University of Arizona men’s basketball team.

10. What’s your favorite film? This is probably the most difficult question for anybody at AFI to answer and would probably change based on the day of the week you asked me or anyone else. Today I’ll say MILLER’S CROSSING – fantastic film. I love everything about it. However, if repetition is any sign of quality, EVIL DEAD II would have to be considered.